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In final All-Star Game, St. Derek hoodwinks the NL

Derek Jeter's presence in his final All-Star appearance made for an unlikely first inning, a healthy bit of controversy and Jeter lounging in the dugout for the final six innings with that wry smile on his face.

And, yes, Mike Trout completed the Face of the Game handoff with a double, triple and two RBI to give the American League its 5-3 victory.

But Jeter, as much distracting as dominant, was the difference.

His presence in his final All-Star appearance made for an unlikely first inning, a healthy bit of controversy and Jeter lounging in the dugout for the final six innings with that wry smile on his face.

You know, the one after he feigns getting hit with a pitch and sells it to an umpire like a flopping World Cup striker.

Or when we've seen him go over to compliment a young player who just got to second base, smile, pat the kid on the butt – then proceed to sneak back in behind him and pick him off.

Clever – and, oh, so unassuming – like the 6-year-old who knows the mysteriously missing cookie jar contents are under his bed.

Jeter, the master of accommodating just about very interview request and never giving up one iota of information that might help you beat the Yankees or get a glimpse into his private life.

Every second of the lengthy ovations and heartfelt tributes all week were well-deserved.

And, in the end, did St. Derek hoodwink the National League?

Let's get it out there. NL pitcher Adam Wainwright grooved the pitch that Jeter laced for a double leading off the bottom of the first. Wainwright admitted it.

"I was going to give him a couple of pipe shots," Wainwright said. "He deserved it. I didn't know he was going to hit a double or I might have changed my mind."

Wainwright immediately found himself in the middle of a social media debate not as much about what he did as for owning up to it.

We still don't know if Chan Ho Park meatballed the 2001 home run to Cal Ripken at Seattle in the Orioles legend's final All-Star Game.

Suspect what you might, but Ripken got his moment and his MVP. And baseball got one its Field of Dreams moments in an era when business and cynicism often dominate.

This time, when players often are criticized for not being forthcoming, Wainwright was simply honest – maybe painfully honest.

He was answering questions deep into the night, even after Jeter had said, "If he grooved it, thank you. You still have to hit it. I appreciate it."

And Wainwright was doing his best to explain how much he appreciates Jeter.

"I'm an idiot," he said. "I messed up but I didn't try to give up a hit. I didn't mess up that way. I messed up in the way I spoke. … My sense of humor gets taken the wrong way sometimes. I did not want to be a distraction. I want it all to be for Derek. If it takes away from his moment, I don't want that."

No worries. Trout took home a Corvette as MVP and Wainwright had a bit more baggage than he showed up with, but Jeter wins.

He was a difference-maker in a game that's supposed to count. And it certainly counts more right now for Wainwright's Cardinals than, say, the Red Sox team that used that home advantage reward against St. Louis in last year's World Series.

But some AL team will benefit.

Wainwright did the expected, respectful thing as Jeter stepped into the batter's box to start the bottom of the first. Wainwright was behind the mound and catcher Jonathan Lucroy outside the catcher's box joining in the lengthy standing ovation.

An appropriate gesture but hardly how a vintage Wainwright game begins.

"Adam had his glove on the mound," Jeter said. "I tried to tell him to pick it up and go. I didn't expect anything."

Except to win, which is what Jeter always expects.

Then there was that fastball. Fine, even if it also is not how ultra-competitive Wainwright usually starts.

Next up was Trout, who's taking seriously this Face of the Game stuff. Apparently, he can't wait.

His triple nearly left the yard in right field. And not to be lost in glitz of Jeter's night was that Trout's second hit of the game – a fifth-inning double – was smack in the middle of the two-run fifth that actually provided the decisive runs.

Oh, no, Wainwright wasn't serving up beach balls to Trout. But you don't have to miss by much for this kid to punish you, don't have to be more than a fraction off your game.

Justin Verlander at the top of his Cy Young-winning form two years ago in Kansas City admittedly let the moment get to him for a decisive five-run first inning in a run-of-the-mill All-Star Game.

What do you expect from Wainwright in this situation?

He did manage to strike out Robinson Cano, but Miguel Cabrera completed Wainwright's punishment with a laser-beam homer just over the wall in left field.

There could have been more.

When Jeter led off the third, Alfredo Simon was ready to pitch. Jeter exchanged pleasantries with plate umpire Gary Cederstom, then took his time getting into the box as another ovation rolled through the crowd.

Soak it in, Derek, as you should.

But don't underestimate an element of gamesmanship here.

Jeter singled.

GALLERY: JETER'S ALL-STAR CURTAIN CALL

Derek Jeter receives a standing ovation after his exit in the fourth inning of the All-Star Game. Jeff Curry, USA TODAY Sports

Simon got through the inning despite two balls scorched far harder than Jeter's. This time, Trout's laser was caught by left fielder Carlos Gomez running into the left-field corner and Cabrera's line drive was a catch-it-or-get-knocked-over job for shortstop Troy Tulowitzki.

The NL actually wiped out the three-run deficit before the decisive fifth and, thus, actually outscored the AL after that first inning.